Proton VPN vs Hotspot Shield: Swiss privacy and an uncapped free tier, or a cheaper first year
Proton VPN scores 6.12 and Hotspot Shield 3.94 out of 10. Proton VPN leads overall; the table shows where each one is stronger.
Proton VPN vs Hotspot Shield
| What we compare | Proton VPN | Hotspot Shield |
|---|---|---|
| Our score | 6.12 (better) | 3.94 |
| Privacy and jurisdiction | 6.0 (better) | 3.0 |
| Security and protocols | 7.9 (better) | 3.6 |
| Price and fair terms | 5.3 (better) | 3.7 |
| Censorship bypass | 2.4 (better) | 1.9 |
| Network and streaming | 8.7 (better) | 6.8 |
| Platforms and support | 7.1 | 8.1 (better) |
| Cheapest price, € a month | €3.00 | €2.08 (better) |
| Renewal vs first term | 2.0× (better) | 3.3× |
| Refund window, days | 30 | 45 (better) |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Independent no-logs audit | Yes | Yes |
| Kill switch | Yes | Yes |
| WireGuard | Yes | Yes |
| Obfuscation | Yes | Yes |
| Crypto payments | Yes (better) | — |
| Jurisdiction | Switzerland (outside 14 Eyes) | USA (5 Eyes) |
| Platforms supported | 10 (better) | 8 |
Proton VPN is the stronger of the two overall: it leads in five of six scored areas, while Hotspot Shield takes only platforms and support. Both have free plans, and the free tiers differ mainly in the data cap, speed and ads.
Privacy and security: Swiss law against a US parent and a 2017 complaint
Most of the privacy gap comes from jurisdiction. Proton VPN belongs to Proton AG, registered in Geneva, Switzerland, outside the 5, 9 and 14 Eyes alliances. Hotspot Shield sits under Pango / Aura through Anchorfree, LLC in the USA, a Five Eyes country, and earns nothing on that line. The Swiss side also publishes a warrant canary and a transparency report; the American side publishes neither. Then there is history: in 2017 the Center for Democracy and Technology filed an FTC complaint alleging Hotspot Shield collected user data, an incident still costing it points and its red flag, as explained on VPNRadarLab's page on whether Hotspot Shield is safe.
One twist: reviewers of Hotspot Shield's policy found no plaintext IP logging, so it wins that single item. Proton VPN keeps connection IPs temporarily for abuse checks, which counts as partial and scores nothing. Both state a no-logs policy, and both had outside checks: Proton VPN a published independent no-logs audit, Hotspot Shield a privacy policy review by Aon in August 2023.
Security is Proton VPN's widest lead. It publishes a security audit, open-source apps on GitHub, a bug bounty and Secure Core multi-hop through Switzerland, Iceland and Sweden. Hotspot Shield does not publish a security audit, perfect forward secrecy or a bug bounty, though both ship a kill switch, DNS leak protection, WireGuard and OpenVPN. Hydra, its own protocol, fills the same scoring slot WireGuard already covers; Proton answers with its Stealth protocol and Smart Protocol auto-selection. For censorship bypass both score low: neither lists VLESS Reality, Trojan, Shadowsocks or Hysteria2, and Proton's alternative routing only marginally helps.
Free tiers: no data cap against a daily allowance
Proton VPN Free has no data limit, no ads and medium speed, but one device, random countries, and no streaming, P2P or NetShield. Hotspot Shield Basic gives 500 MB a day at 2 Mbps, one virtual US location and adverts on mobile; the full free VPN comparison covers the rest.
Cheaper to start with Hotspot Shield, cheaper to keep with Proton VPN
| Service and plan | Paid up front | Per month | Renews at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proton VPN Plus | $83.76 / 24 months | $3.49 | $83.88 yearly |
| Proton VPN Unlimited | $191.76 / 24 months | $7.99 | $119.88 yearly |
| Hotspot Shield Premium yearly | $29 first year | $2.42 | $95.99 yearly |
| Hotspot Shield Premium monthly | $1.99 first month | $1.99 | $12.99 monthly |
| Free plans (both) | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Two-year cost: $83.76 for Proton VPN Plus against $124.99 ($29 + $95.99) for Hotspot Shield Premium. After the intro term, the yearly bill is $83.88 versus $95.99. The 3.3x renewal jump behind Hotspot Shield's intro deal, and fewer ways to pay, are why the price score goes to Proton VPN.
Refunds, Bitcoin and cash
Hotspot Shield refunds within 45 days of enrollment, no questions asked, for direct purchases; Proton refunds once per user within 30 days of the first purchase and excludes cash and bank transfer payments. The scoring caps the refund item at 30 days, so 45 days adds nothing. Proton takes Bitcoin and cash (via Proton credits) alongside cards and PayPal; Hotspot Shield accepts only cards and PayPal. Auto-renewal is on by default at both: cancel Proton VPN via the dashboard or support, Hotspot Shield by switching off auto-renewal.
Apps, servers and support: the one area Hotspot Shield takes
Proton covers 10 platforms against Hotspot Shield's 8, and its list includes Chromebook and Apple TV apps, which Hotspot Shield does not publish; yet Proton still loses this column because paid users get 24/7 live chat. Proton's chat has no round-the-clock commitment. On network size Proton is far ahead: 140+ countries, 20,000+ servers on bare-metal hardware with 10 Gbps ports, port forwarding for P2P and named streaming servers (Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video are both providers' claims, not verified unblocking). Hotspot Shield answers with 80+ countries, 1,800+ servers and Middle East locations including UAE, Egypt and Turkey. Devices at once: Proton allows 10 on paid plans; Hotspot Shield allows 10 on Premium, 5 on Plus and 25 on Premium Family for up to 5 people. Hotspot Shield's Premium also bundles Aura Antivirus, 1Password and a spam call blocker instead of Proton's Pass and Drive.
Proton VPN or Hotspot Shield: quick answers
Which one is faster?
Nobody can say from published data: VPNRadarLab scores what providers publish and does not run its own speed trials.
Is Proton VPN made by the company behind Proton Mail?
Yes, the same Swiss company runs Proton Mail, Proton Drive and Proton Pass alongside the VPN.
Which free version is better on a phone?
Proton VPN Free: no data cap, no ads, and speed that is not held to 2 Mbps.
Who should pick which
- Privacy-focused user worried about data requests: Proton VPN.
- Buyer chasing the cheapest first year with a long refund window: Hotspot Shield Premium yearly.
- Free user browsing daily on iPhone or Android: Proton VPN Free.
Proton VPN wins on privacy, security and long-run cost; Hotspot Shield suits a cheap first year, a family household and anyone who needs support answers at 3 a.m.